Ronnie stumbled over his feet and fell to the ground, pushing his back against the locked door. His eyes held horror and bewilderment.
He tried to speak but his lips quaked, refusing to enable him speech.
The woman stared back at Ronnie, her eyes roaming around the room like she was processing the situation.
"You, where am I? I command you to tell me" she said. Her voice sounded strict and filled with authority. She stared holes through Ronnie.
"I— you're at my house" Ronnie could barely get his voice out of his throat. He gulped down on saliva, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and rolling down his face.
The expression on the woman's face changed, she looked confused.
"You're human, are you not?" She asked.
"I am, I am human" Ronnie answered in a hurried tone.
"Then how do you understand me? humans do not understand the tongue of the demons" She said, staring straight at him in anticipation for an immediate response.
"I— don't know ma'am, wait did you just say demon?! That would mean that— the summoning ritual worked" Ronnie said, getting the strength to stand, still holding on to the door behind him.
"a summoning ritual? boy, what do you speak of? If this is a ploy by my enemies, I shall incinerate you where you stand. My people await me on the battlefield" she said, her voice sounded more aggressive than before.
Ronnie tried to explain but he couldn't find the words, instead he slowly made his way to his bedside, with his eyes laser focused on the stranger in his room.
Slowly he knelt and pulled out the board from underneath the bed. The woman's eyes widened in horror when she saw the board. She took a quick leap back.
"That's— that's a cursed object, what are you doing with something evil like that?!" She yelled.
'An object that even a demon calls evil? what have I just gotten myself into?' Ronnie thought.
"I found it in my basement. A customer must have brought it in a really long time ago. I thought it was a game" Ronnie explained, his lips trembling.
Her eyes found their way to the mirror in Ronnie's room.
"What is this?! Why do I look like a disgusting human?! You, I'll kill you, boy!" the woman was outraged.
She charged towards Ronnie, grabbing him by the collar and tossing him against the hard wooden floors.
"Ronald!!! what the hell are you doing up there?!" Ronnie's grandfather inquired from downstairs, his room was directly underneath Ronnie's room.
"N— nothing Pa, I'm just working out" Ronnie forced out a loud voice.
"Well keep it down" grandpa yelled again in his raspy voice.
"Is this an enemy camp?! how many humans are present for this ambush?!" the woman yelled.
"Would you shut it and be discreet for a sec? you'll make grandpa come up here!" Ronnie said in a passive aggressive tone.
"As you wish master, I shall obey" the woman said, with a look of sudden surprise immediately the words escaped her lips.
Ronnie struggled to his feet, his eyes widened.
"Master?" He whispered.
the stranger sighed, taking a sit on Ronnie's bed. She tapped the bed twice, gesturing for him to sit. Instead he stood and folded his hands, displaying a look that demanded an answer.
"Human, you have no idea what you have gotten us into. You and I, we have been bound by a soul tie" she said, tapping her fingers on her nude thigh.
Ronnie was too scared and confused to get excited by what he saw.
"What does that mean?" Ronnie asked.
"The board you messed around with, that thing? It's a relic that was created in my world. Disguised as familiar summoning magic but actually a tool used to trap and enslave humans. I haven't seen one of those in almost 300 years" she explained, her face devoid of emotion.
There was brief silence. Ronnie sighed.
"What have I done? I just wanted to show the boys a fun time, being soul tied to a demon? I'm definitely going to hell" he said, burying his palm into his face.
"Who are you? I sense no demonic energy coming from you. None at all" she said.
"That's because I'm human, an ordinary human," Ronnie said. His voice was getting shaky again.
"Ronnie, that's what you are called, is it not?" the woman asked.
"It is. Ronald Carpenter" he replied.
"Then listen, Ron— no, Master, humans cannot use this relic. It relies on magic, demonic energy" she explained, getting on her feet and accessing Ronnie closely.
"you're too close, please move away!" Ronnie yelled and looked away. It finally hit him that a naked woman was standing in his room, claiming to be a demon.
Without sparing her another look, he made for the wardrobe, taking out a random T-shirt and tossing it to her.
"Y— you should wear that," Ronnie said, still looking away.
"As you wish, master" she said, sliding the shirt on.
"I'm all done, humans sure wear strange attires," the woman said, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Um, demon lady? how do we break the soul tie?" Ronnie asked, facing her.
"You can't. It's permanent. didn't you read the inscriptions on the box?!" She said, her tone got aggressive.
"Forever?" He asked.
"Until death, if one of us dies, the other dies as well! My people need me! you pulled this trick at the worst possible time!" She thundered.
Ronnie listened for his grandpa's voice but it never came.
"He must have fallen asleep" he muttered with his head facing the ground"
"No, no, no! This can't be it at all. I believe we can find a way to reverse it if we look hard enough" Ronnie said.
The room went dead silent for a moment. Then the woman walked towards the bed, the floorboards creaking as she went.
She threw herself on the bed, covering her eyes with her right arm. She smiled a bitter smile.
"A human child lecturing me on demon magic, this is what I've been reduced to. They were right about me" she sighed.
Ronnie stood at the corner, silent with his arms folded. He tried to speak but there weren't words to say. It was a situation unlike any he had ever dealt with.
"Well, I shall trust in you Master. I do not have a choice. I'm stuck here, in this powerless form. What do we do first?" she asked.
"You look human, let's teach you how to act like one and blend among others first." Ronnie said, like a new wave of conviction had flushed into him.
"Whatever you say, Master" she flashed a mischievous smile.
"I never caught your name" Ronnie said, his knees had stopped trembling.
"Hm" she grinned and sat up.
"While I can't tell you my true name just yet, you can call me Lily," she said.
"Lily, I'll find a way to break this bond. I swear!" Ronnie yelled, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"I look forward to serving in the meantime, Master. I am but a humble slave" her voice sounded more devilish than earlier.